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Enter the Debauchee! – Part 02

Watching Kazuya leave, Victorique curled up inside the coarse gray cloth. With the weathered suitcases piled high, she began to look like an old doll sold in a flea market by passing strangers.

The rain continued to drizzle on the worn, ragged doll. The moon hung above a clear sky. It was the beginning of a restless night.

Victorique de Blois, the legendary Gray Wolf who once dictated the fate of the Old World. The greatest and most fearsome human weapon in Europe. Yet now, she was simply one among countless nameless immigrants in the New World, where everything was different.

Wearing a blank look, Victorique’s jewel-like emerald green eyes dimmed. She shifted ever so slightly, her silver hair cascading like the Milky Way against the night sky. On a whim, she flicked the switch of the radio.

Buzz… Beep…

The cheerful voice of a youthful announcer sounded. “Now, it’s time for the news everyone’s been eagerly awaiting! The Apocalypse, the talk of the town for every New Yorker.”

“The Apocalypse again?” Victorique snorted, closing her eyes with disinterest.

“The pride of New York—the world’s tallest tower! Tonight, it’s hosting a completion ceremony! Having trouble with the traffic closures? Well, whose fault is it for not getting home early? Just kidding! All the big shots in New York are expected to show up at the party. Heading the Bluecandy family is none other than the young and beautiful Italian immigrant—formerly young? Haha! The formidable billionaire La Guardia, who single-handedly built a colossal tobacco conglomerate in a single generation! You know the catchphrase of the Femina Economica Monster, right? One, two…”

The studio audience erupted into laughter.

“Life is but a coin toss!”

“Fortune favors the bold!”

“Femina Economica Monster? Yuck,” Victorique muttered. Her silver hair danced like strands of silk in the breeze. The gray cloth rustled faintly.

“Rumor has it the old lady has never lost a coin toss in her life. Hahaha! And her only son, Emigré, is currently the mayor of New York City. His wife, a Broadway stage actress, um, what’s her name again…? Haha, I forgot. Oh well! This obedient couple is a boring topic for a conversation.”

“Emigré… the runaway…”

“But the real intrigue lies with the third generation! Everyone’s talking about the mayor’s son, the wild Bon Vivant, right? They say the crazier the grandson, the more he’s adored. He’s Grandma’s favorite, and he’s quite popular among young New Yorkers! Bon Vivant is known for being quite eccentric. He’s been fighting with his dad, ran away from home, and now he’s living in some grimy boarding house downtown. It’s called the Carousel or something. Some say he owns it, though.”

“Hmm?”

“So, will the talk of the town, Bon Vivant, show up at the party? If he does, we’ll be waiting eagerly to see what he wears and who he brings along! After all…”

“Hmm…”

“He decided to become a comic book artist instead of taking over the family fortune, then dropped out of the prestigious New York High School in no time! Now, he’s one half of the hit American comic duo, Bon & Coup, creators of the biggest superhero story of the New World, Wonder Girl, loved by returning war veterans!”

“Hmm…”

“And Bon Vivant, well, his catchphrase is quite weird too…”

“Wonder Girl is the ideal girl for me!”

“Even comic fans worry he’s too odd to have a girlfriend. Well, with his appearance, it’s not surprising. You’d spot him right away if you saw him on the street. Hahaha! Actually, I’m a fan, too. I once asked him for an autograph. He was a nice guy, didn’t seem like a rich heir at all. He always wears a suit with the stars and stripes of the American flag… even a blue silk hat…”

“Absurd. No matter how jubilant the mood in the victorious nation, it’s hard to imagine someone dressed like that. Such attire… such…”

Victorique spotted a smallish, unusually chubby young man passing by, wearing a tight-fitting suit of blue, white, and red, with a blue silk hat perched atop his head, and even a blue cloak fluttering behind him.

“Huh?”

Maintaining a lazy posture, face devoid of emotion, she emitted a sound akin to a strangled kitten.

My dear foolish son,

If I were to start explaining how much worry you cause me, it would take all day and night, and our important party tonight would be ruined. So, for now, I’ll choose to remain silent, like a wise man.

But let me say just one thing!

“You fool! You dunce! You nincompoop!”

“I can’t believe I have a son like you!”

You know, our great grandmother crossed the sea alone to start a new life in a different country and quickly became the founder of the massive corporation, Bluecandy. And I, her eldest son, had ambitions to improve New York City and became a politician. I had high hopes for my only son, you. Comics? Is that what a man’s lifelong work is supposed to be? I don’t understand! But… I won’t lecture you now. Let’s endure this for the time being. “The wise man’s silence”… for the sake of the Bluecandy family’s unity…

But the real issue is tonight’s party!

I’ve disowned you. But, due to the inexplicable “magic of family ties,” which my respectable philosophy of life can’t fathom, you’re still my grandmother’s “adorable, adorable grandchild.” This puzzle baffles me. Logically, I should be the adorable one, but… Ha! I don’t care at all! Anyway, grandmother wants you at the party. Understand? You foolish son!

So, you absolutely must come. You foolish son!

Grandmother’s wishes are absolute. Got it? You foolish son!

That’s all there is to it.

Oh God… I hope my foolish only son recovers soon!

From a father who works especially hard.

Hey there, Bon! It’s your mom!

I may not have anything to add to my hardworking husband’s big speeches, but just one thing!

As a gentleman, you’re coming with a lady tonight, right?

Come on, you know, please don’t embarrass me! I, “Louise Lady,” was the top actress on Broadway. If I hadn’t married and had you, maybe I’d have become a silver screen star in Hollywood. Who knows? Hehe! Anyway, could you please find me a “breathtaking beauty” that will make everyone turn their heads?

Don’t worry! Just approach the girls as if you’re on a big ship! Act as a party girl, a singer, an actress! Didn’t I teach you that any beauty will follow as long as you have the cash? Huh, why? Because that’s how I ended up marrying your dad! Hehehe!

Life isn’t a coin toss, you know! What? Life is a bundle of hundred-dollar bills! I often tell your grandma during my speeches that my beliefs are all about beauty, dancing, and money, that’s it.

I’m counting on you, my dear Bon!

From your forever young and beautiful mom.

“What am I supposed to do?! Should I live or should I die?! Ugh… Ugh…”

In an Italian neighborhood near the New York Harbor, as night fell, faint moonlight cast shadows over the buildings. The sidewalks bustled with activity: street vendors hawking their goods, businessmen’s leather shoes clicking, children’s laughter ringing through the air, and distant car horns adding to the urban symphony. An eerie wind whispered from the subway entrance.

Bon Vivant, the third-generation heir of New York’s wealthiest family and the mayor’s rebellious son from the Bluecandy lineage, stood amidst the chaos, clutching his head in anguish.

In one hand, he gripped his father’s letter; in the other, his mother’s. Despite being in his mid-twenties, his fair skin and slightly plump figure gave him a boyish appearance. He tied back his silky brown hair tightly, his gray eyes wide with distress.

He was dressed in a snug-fitting suit adorned with the American flag pattern, a blue silk hat perched atop his head, and a sword hanging at his waist. He wore a reversible cloak, one side blue and the other gray, creating a vibrant display of blue, white, and red. Passersby, though familiar with his eccentric attire, merely nodded in passing, muttering, “There goes the mayor’s wild child again,” as they continued on their way.

Bon Vivant responded cheerfully, “Oh! A lively fool, indeed!”

“Yes, indeed!”

“Yeah!”

Then, suddenly, he blinked rapidly, pounding the nearby wall with his fist.

“Darn it! Jesus! Christ! I was planning to attend the party as well, for my dear grandmother. But the problem isn’t my stern father; it’s my whimsical mother. She insists I bring along a beautiful woman! Why, though? Is it truly necessary? And would any lovely lady want to accompany me to a party? Is Mom going mad from too much dancing?”

Tears welled in his eyes as he sobbed openly on the street.

“But if I don’t comply, she’ll throw a fit and become insufferable.”